Music Videos

Chester, PA’s own Yung Snapp x A Dot take their hard earned money to a Philadelphia nightclub and deliver a visual for their latest collaboration “Lit.” Plenty of bottles of champagne to go around, the Mar Films directed video captures the lifestyle of Snapp & A. Thanks to the Beat Bully production “Lit” has plenty of knock for the club. Give this one a play and let us know what you think.

Silent KnightBusy is his best friend — and it ain’t hard to tell, as he racks up the appearances. Here’s to hoping Silent Knight’s buzz finally catches up to his work ethic, and talent. I had a hard time picking my favorites from him in 2015.

RUSS
Speaking of consistency… From the art he creates for each single he drops to the quality of HIS production on each of his songs to the catchy hooks and undeniably witty lyricism, Russ is one of those artists who seems destined for stardom, if he’s interested. This guy epitomizes prolific. He raps — a lot — about the magazines and the labels, and not giving a fuck. But let’s see what happens. Every record he uploads to Audiomack gets immediate love and stays trending until he unleashes his next one.

HD Been Dope
This guy’s still a bit of a sleeper. He’s young, unsigned, and another so-called backpacker emcee out of Brooklyn. But he’s caught the attention of The DJ Booth, offering up a freestyle for two of their video series, one solo and one alongside Maffew Ragazino, Kirk Knight, Emilio Rojas and Black Dave; and, dude’s done a million shows already. Not to mention, his contribution to DJ J Hart’s Passport EP was one of my top-three favorites on that top-three album of 2015. I expect great things from this kid, even if he’s not a Bada$$.

A-F-R-O
This young man loves and lives Hip Hop. He’s that cat who always had headphones on, kept to himself, and worshiped real emcees. He stayed up late, scribbling in his notebook, hoping to one day present his skills to someone like the great R.A. The Rugged Man. And then, he did. His rap name, a la GURU, stands for All Flows Reach Out. And if you’ve heard one of his freestyles, you know he can rap. Can’t say I love his RECORDS, yet. And he doesn’t exactly have the curb appeal to blow like Timberlake. But with more polishing (perhaps even than RA can provide), A-F-R-O can make a major dent on the indie Hip Hop scene, even as early as 2016.

Hus Kingpin, Smoovth, Rozewood and Marvelous Mag; and Conway and Westside Gunn
Sure, it may seem a little odd (if you haven’t been following my monthly playlists for Gonzombies.com) that I, ‘Mr. Protest Music’ himself, would be a proponent of this new wave of street music, but the massive amount of output from this group of affiliated ‘New New Yorkers’ (no Troy Ave) is as Hip Hop as any of the political anthems Jasiri X and I create. The streets birthed Hip Hop, and nobody does the gritty with more gusto. The beat selection, the searing wit, the wordplay, and the wiseguy mannerisms keep me head nodding and feeling untouchable. That’s what rap music can do for you. And nobody right now does it better than these guys. Mark my words: 2016 is the year The Winners and Griselda Records go global. Shoutout my mans, Big Ghost.

[AUSTIN, TEXAS] KB The Boo Bonic makes her debut on NikkiSiixx.com, with her music video for her catchy track BAT SH!T. KB The Boo Bonic is a female emcee that’s pretty badass, reciting her lyrics through golds on the bottom, dark shades, and rocking a pair of bat socks. Love the effects added to the video, which was shot and edited by The Moon Guys. You can catch BAT SH!T on KB The Boo Bonic official mixtape which is set to release early 2016. Be on the look out from more content from KB The Boo Bonic. TWITTER || FACEBOOK || INSTAGRAM ||

[JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA] Chronicle returns with his latest music video for POETRY IN MOTION/GO HARD featuring RJ Gambino. This is actually the second video off Chronicle’s LP Bright Nights. Chronicle was able to work on his craft and was able to find his place in music. Check out my LP Review of Chronicle’s Bright Nights (Deluxe Edition). POETRY IN MOTION gives you a more of a positive note, Chronicle provides you a sense of knowledge on the hardships of everyday life. When the video/song switches up to GO HARD, the track provides a rowdiness from his crew repping the streets. Music video by Chronicle & RJ Gambino performing Poetry In Motion/Go Hard 2015 LrK Productions X Zocode Filmz.

[DALLAS, TEXAS] Up and coming artist Jay Luse brings us his single WHAT YOU LIKE, featuring Coach Tev and B.Anderson. This track is slow and hypnotic, dope production by Neal Thompson & Blue The Misfit. You gotta vibe to this one! Jay Luse describes what does the listening like and how he can provide it to ya. For an artist who is looking to grow and inspire. WHAT YOU LIKE will be on Jay Luse upcoming debut EP Soulful Attraction. Get updates by checking out his website below:

Check it out this dope Podcast brought to you by Digital Coup Media with RAP SHOW WEEKLY EP 1. This episode they feature Alex Aff, Dreezy, Larry June, Kid Art & V. Cha$e, Royce Rizzy, Famous Kid Brick, and Zip K. RAP SHOW WEEKLY is all about bringing new music videos and documentary style interviews. I really like how the whole show is put together. Shoutout to Clint Easthood, for editing and making it look really fresh with the effects and presentation.

PS! Viewers can enter for a chance to win a gift pack from Reason Clothing NYC (retail value $75) just by watching and voting for their favorite video.Giveaway Link:http://bit.ly/1WFJhMX

[ATLANTA/ST.LOUIS] Check it Tommy Swisher makes his way back on NikkiSiixx.com with his latest visual NETFLIX & BREWS. The concept of the video is that Tommy Swisher reminisces on his college days where you see his cleaning up the spot while his friends are still there, while his a waiting his girl guest to come over. I like how the visual gave us the sense of a live studio audience sitcom. With the audience laughing when he’s trying to get his friends outta there. Even funnier when his friend that’s asleep takes a while to get up. You see Tommy Swisher get his company some brews while they get comfortable to watch some Netflix. NETFLIX & BREWS was directed by TheGuyVeezy and the beat was produced by E.Wonder. Tommy Swisher has been busy since he recently got off from opening up for TDE artist Sza out in Dallas, Texas.

NIKKISIIXX: This time around I had artist SM to bring his point of view for this week’s Artist Advice Article. SM is also a new contributor here at NikkiSiixx.com. SM’s topic of choice was AVOID BEING JUST ANOTHER SOUNDCLOUD RAPPER. Take it away SM –

So can we all agree that damn near everybody and their uncle can rap and that all of them with access to a computer are most likely recording a mixtape as I write this? OK, now that we agree on that let me give you an example of a scenario that plays out much too often. Let’s skip pass the small talk and fast-forward to the day the rapper’s project is actually here. This is the day all of their friends and family receive that “Check out my music” text or email. The day complete strangers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram get hit like an Uzi with the rapper’s music link. Often times begging us to check it out or my favorite line, “Click on the link in bio.” The music is uploaded. The cover art is uploaded. While everything seems ripe and ready for the rapper to catapult to stardom (in his or her mind), the Soundcloud numbers are saying, “Don’t quit your day job!” And from that point on, all this rapper seems to do is promote his or her project on Soundcloud. Why stop there? Why let your career stall and lose momentum? I’m going to tell you a few ways you can avoid being just another Soundcloud rapper.

Let’s be clear, Soundcloud is a great platform for artist; however, it takes a lot more than that to be successful. For instance, shooting a music video is a very important part of promoting your project. Per day, 1.5 million views on YouTube are for music videos alone. Artists are now getting signed off the buzz and number of views from their YouTube Channel. Songstuff has a great article online you should check out called “Tips For Making a Music Video”. People want to see you, so get in on this action immediately.

Also, you need to hire a reputable publicist or music promotion company to help get your project out there. Your occasional tweets, posts, and status updates are not enough. Put your project in the hands of people with experience and you will see much better results. To learn more about the benefits and what to look for in a Publicist, check out David Robert’s article “9 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring A Publicist“. Another thing I suggest is getting your project out there offline. That means getting off your ass and off your computer or off your mobile device and actually network with other human beings face to face. Press up physical copies of your project and give them to DJ’s, you know the drill. Let’s not pretend like we don’t know how to operate without the Internet. Of course there are more ways and ideas you can use, I’m just scratching the surface. If you have any ideas feel free to leave a comment below and we’ll take a look. Ultimately, it’s all on you the artist to make good music and get it out there.

SM is an Author and Artist from NYC currently residing in Atlanta, GA. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Rock Steady Crew Member/Poet-MC/Queen of the Ring/Latina/Activist MyVerse is debuting the new year with her album State of the Art. The thirteen track album gives you a closer look into MyVerse’s Universe. Starting the project with her spoken word on P.O.E.T, in which she speaks so passionately. MyVerse is the essence of hip-hop. She portrays the style, vibe, and overall experience. Her track Vida Linda captures MyVerse hispanic roots (Puerto Rico/Panama) with her Spanish lyrics over this dope hip-hop beat produced by BaseCampBeats. She also rips it in SPANISH, on Orijen. She’s definitely on point over Butterscotch’s beatboxing.

What don’t you love about MyVerse? Not only she can rap and sing she can also direct and edit her own music videos. Check out these two off her State of the Art album with Vida Linda and Black Swan.

State of the Art; overall is a great listen definitely an 9/10. MyVerse gives her all throughout the creative process for this album. Amazing beat selection, insane lyrics, and some dope features from Jon Connor (Track 7 – Keep On) and Jonny Storm (Track 9 – Rosey). This is a must download! Don’t forget to click the cover art above to get the link via iTunes.

2014 has been a crazy year for NikkiSiixx.com and we couldn’t be happier bringing you the dopiest of the dope from the Underground Hip-Hop Scene. NikkiSiixx ventured off with her NikkiJoMazing Series, then Her Lootcrate Unboxing Videos, & her Catch Up With The Artist Series from NETWERK. I decided to create a list of the post viewed most that were featured this year 2014. Starting the count down at NUMBER 25 with…

The big homie Eriiic J has been working passionately and humbly towards his vision, but you should know that by now. What you might not know is that he has a new FREE tape that you can download from his Bandcamp HERE. This most recent visual offering is directed and edited by Lens Flair Carruthers, and if you can’t guess, yes it is Eriiic J keeping the talent in his own camp. The video and audio for “Existenialism pt 33” pair perfectly to illustrate the empowering, love thyself philosophy that comes standard in almost all of Eriiic J’s music.

Each new offering, each new song, album, video from Eriiic is becoming a microcosm of his entire hustle. Everything he puts his name on and releases has time invested in it to cultivate quality and is overflowing with thought and passion for his craft. Truly multifaceted, Eriiic J relies on himself to produce unique and thought-provoking art. Yes, art. The dedication to knowledge and understand, the depth of ideas and philosophies, the attention to detail, all of this contributes to the evolution of Eriiic’s music into art. It’s only a matter of time before you hear Ab-Soul and Eriiic going bar for bar on the latest Hot95 banger.

For this weeks segment, I decided to show love to someone who works behind the scenes in the music industry rather than the forefront. I feel that music producers, graphic designers, videographers, photographers, etc a lot of the times don’t get the recognition they deserve. So I asked myself,”Why not make this piece about someone who does it all”? I felt that Just Visions was the perfect candidate. But, instead of doing a write-up, I thought we’d all get to know Just Visions and his brand a little better in a brief Q&A. You can also checkout some of his work down below:

Q: What inspired you to pick up the camera?A: My father took up photography as a hobby later on in life & left behind all his equipment & inspiration. So one day, I picked up his old Nikon D200 and was amazed how nice the pictures came out. A couple weeks went by, made some business cards and went to Club Living Room on South Beach when G Phill had that place on smash. I just took pictures of everyone, handed out my card, and posted them on Facebook. Next thing I know everyone was asking me, “How much”? It took off from there.

Q: What other services do you provide?A: I mostly get inquires about photography (photo shoots, weddings, baby showers, kids events, club events) music videos, and V-logs. I don’t advertise but I also do graphic design and music production.

Q: Does Just Visions specialize in only music videos or can we expect a short film in the future?A: I’m actually working on a featured film script to be shot in North Miami. I don’t really want to give to much away. We’re still putting the pieces together & building the right team in order to execute the vision.

Q: Where do you see Just Visions 5 years from now?A: I hope I’m everywhere in 5 years! I would really like to expand Just Visions into a major production company based out of Miami, FL. I’d provide visual solutions from production to post production, high budget featured films, to working directly with major record labels shooting music videos.

Q: If you could summarize what Just Visions is all about in one sentence, what would it be?A: Just Visions… It’s all on how you see it!

Ray Dawn is back with the visual for “Lately” off of his latest release En Plane Air. The song was produced by frequent collabator Ohini Jonez. Ray partnered with TrillHD for the release of the visual. Dawn is scheduled to be at attendence for the A3C festival in Atlanta, GA this week. Check out the video below and if you have yet to hear the rest of En Plane Air the link is also featured below.

Qwestions of Chicago, IL released the video for his single “The Overflow”. He kept the concept of the video simple which was smart since the song is extremely dope. He does the video in front of an elementary school. Listen to joint and check out the crisp yet simple visual.

Worth Whyle of Pittsburgh, PA video for “Forever True” is superb. The track already starts out catching your attention by sampling some of the greatest hip-hop artists known from Common to Nas. In the video a numark turntable is shown to capture that true hip-hop feel. Marly spits some ill lyric that show his love for this art form as he goes through his city. Hubbs does the same and actually is the reason I found out the production was done by well known Taylor Gang affiliate Big Jerm. Worth Whyle chose the perfect position as the anchor on his song. He brought the track full circle like Usain Bolt on a track with his story telling skills and solid ending. This song and video were so good that I downloaded and added it to my iTunes. Check out the video below.

This was honestly something that I wasn’t expecting but am extremely glad that I heard it. A hip-hop artist and folk/country artist making a song about peace isn’t the norm. I was highly impressed by both the simplicity of the the video and the message in the music. Provy and Rachel shot the video in New Zealand and you see them recording the song as well as exploring through the city and mingling with civilians. This video is a must watch and the song is definitely worth downloading. Check out the video below

Mr. MacDonald turns this visual into a short film right from the beginning. It starts off with him in the snow tied up with a bag over his head. The way he set it up made me feel like I didn’t know whether I was in a good dream or a dark nightmare. Reminds me of the feeling I got the first time I watched A$AP Rocky’s video for “Wassup”. The song has a dark feel production wise and Mr. MacDonald touches on typical musical topics such as love, money, drive, etc. from his point of view. Overall the concept was crazy and I enjoyed it. Check out the video below

Jazzy Jah has arrived to NikkiSiixx.com with a freestyle visual Anti Freeze. This is his version of the jam originally from the totally dope Pac Div. I’m not really a super fan of freestyles, as they definitely have a shorter shelf life. But this one made me want to turn up, that’s why its here. Jazzy Jah is a Queens,NY native now rocking with the Miami underground scene. We are looking forward to more from the fashionably forward emcee.